Thank you for taking the time to review my profile. I look forward working with you in this regard.

I am a class leading executive with 13+ years’ experience in FMCG, 8+ years in industry, 10 years+ Logistics into Africa, 10+ manufacturing, 10+ Quality Assurance, 5+ Risk management, and overall I have 20+ years cross industry experience; of which more than 10 years is at senior executive level. I am a highly ethical, skilled, structured and professional individual- yet have as a key differentiator a holistic approach to developing capabilities and cohesion in my teams as well implementing systems in Africa – in many instances fixing botched and problematic systems in high growth environments; Driving cross functional performance for the business. I vest heavily in my teams, and my primary objective is always to unlock their potential in order to create competitive advantage for the business - as well as for the individual team members themselves. Overall I am a driver and integrator; well versed in Strategy, Sales, Finance, HR and Operations management, in multi-cultural environments, in companies of varying size and scope.

I am a committed, self-managed, flexible, innovative, profit and people driven achiever, who has extensive experience and successes in Sales, Strategy, Sourcing, Logistics, Customer Service, Quality Assurance, Safety, manufacturing, Order management, Demand Planning and Inventory Management - with currently over 2 billion rand + in spend under my current portfolio.

I have excellent oral and written skills, a customer and business centric mindset. I am an idea and solutions creator, with excellent problem solving skills and hence I am an intuitive and natural CI driver. I thrive in an environment of honesty and integrity, in a culture valuing excellence and learning agility. Having managed a diverse portfolio across Sub Saharan Africa I am very adept at managing multiple demands and projects, in a strong collaborative manner, whilst maintaining strategic drive and perspective.

I have full accountability for Budget, and balance sheet Working capital items. I have extensive experience in building solid relationships within my team as well as across strategic supply and customer delivery channels. I own and have negotiated very favorable strategic SLAs for our region (full lifecycle management). My portfolio includes Demand planning and management, SI&OP, with location ownership of Occupational health and Safety, Quality systems, as well as working through multiple ERP systems (SAP R3 (prior), Oracle (prior), BPICS (current), Accpac (current)

In both my current position at General Cable, and Prior at General Mills, Both Fortune 5oo companies, I am the Africa Supply Chain lead, representing the Africa region globally on strategic and business decisions. I own supplier strategy and supplier relationship management, supplier quality assurance and am part of new business venture development, along with the commercial, country and plant executive team. I have had significant success in execution of global strategies and developments for improved efficiencies – resulting in cost savings and year on year cash position improvements, turning around the financial performance at General Mills after years of losses, and effecting a close to half a billion rand cash improvement at General Cable.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards and best wishes.

Charles L. Szente (https://za.linkedin.com/in/charleslszente)

Personal Details

Name: Charles L. Szente

Race & ID: Caucasian / 730**********

Contact details : +278********/+278********(South Africa) / actkh3@r.postjobfree.com

Languages: English & Afrikaans

Speak / Read/ Write – Excellent,

Currently learning Spanish / German

Drivers Licenses: Code 08(A)–Light Passenger,

Code 15(EB)–Motor Cycle

Distinction and Awards: $33m+ year on year cash turn around – cost cutting, supplier VMI agreements, inventory reduction, and finished goods management.

Implemented SI&OP across region (multi plant, sales organizations) targeting a further $10mm in cash improvements.

2013 AMEA Champions award – all inclusive Margin Management

2012 GSE Environmental Achievement Award

2012 GSE Safety Achievement Award

Supply Chain Excellence Awards (General Mills) 2010 / 2012

Managing Directors value creation award 2012

Top Student at graduation – Damelin 2000,

South-African Institute of Management Scientist best management student award – Damelin 2000,

Top student in class award – Business Management Damelin 2000,

Top Student Award – Adv. Quality management and Quality Engineering (Damelin 1999),

Runner Up trophy for highest Average on aggregate (Technicon Natal 1995 – Packaging Technology)

Business Management Diploma – 5 First class passes (75%-85%), and 1 Distinction (85% - 90%), 2000

Analytical Chemistry 5 Distinctions (1997), Packaging Technology 2 Distinctions (1995)

Accreditations : CSCP - Certified Supply Chain Professional – APICS

Education : Master of Business Administration (MBA) - 2003

(De Montfort University – UK)

Subjects : Business Economics, Research Methodology, Project Management, Organizational behavior, Managing Organizational Change, Financial Strategy, Accounting for strategic decision making, Finance, Marketing, Operations Management, Human Resource Management, Corporate strategy, Quantitative methods and IT and Corporate Strategy,

Thesis – Fraud minimization in a secure manufacturing facility.

Additional MBA Achievements: Syndicate Group leader

Technicon Qualifications: Analytical Chemistry Diploma (Wits Technicon T2 / Intec College 1997),

Packaging Technology – Certificate (Natal Tech1995),

Prior Work experience

Regional Supply Chain General Cable: General Cable August 2013 to present

executive (SSA) Reporting to Vice President with accountability for over 2 billion in sourcing, as well as working capital management and S&OP. Achievements include; Creating a regional view and organization between 4 regional manufacturing units, 6 commercial centers and linkages to Thailand and European company facilities where there was very limited integration before. Increased Johannesburg DC through put to a consistent ZAR 5m per day and improving delivery consistency without capital investment – supporting the aggressive business growth plan. Reducing Raw materials on hand from USD 9m in January to USD 4.5m in June, With line of sight and plans to <USD 3m. Negotiating price terms with suppliers to provide extended terms. Implementing a common regional planning tool, as all facilities use different accounting systems . Implemented new integrated S&OP tool compiling Sales consensus, production plans, buy assumptions and inventory impact into a single view. Linking the data to the inventory planning tool. Identifying and resolving USD 2m in cost saving initiatives, including material sourcing changes ($300k to $500k for this year), technology changes ($300 for this year), plant to plant optimization (TBD), transportation lead time reduction, effectiveness and utilization ($90), Slow and Obsolete stock management and reduction ($200+).

Supply Chain Executive General Mills: - August 2009 to August 2013

Key achievements: I worked as a senior general manager with Finance, Risk, People, manufacturing and supply chain accountability where I assembled and built a high performance management team and implemented a plant structure that allows for accountability and accelerated growth in a unionized environment, whilst integrating the local business into the international organization. Achievements include 10% increase in customer service levels with a 50% reduction in service level variability. 28% increase in plant efficiency. 13% increase in production planning predictability. 18% plant risk reduction yoy F13. 66% reduction in returns since F09 . Increase plant stock accuracy at sku level from 13% to currently 99.5%+ at balance sheet value. Beating costs savings plans for 4 successive years, Piloted PEAK A (world class) implementation without the use of outside consultants. Received F10, F12,F13 Regional Champions awards. Received awards for Safety and Environmental performance. Received F12 Managing director’s award for value add, with my team winning the remainder of the awards for the local business.

Executive ConsultantSeratoa Business Services - Sep 2004 to August 2009

Key achievements: multiple development and improvement projects which included manufacturing improvement, Management buy-outs,, Agro processing, Energy management, SKU consolidation, Quality Management Systems Implementation, Business Model Development, Mergers & Acquisitions, in Automotive, Manufacturing, Food, agro processing, Local Government, Telecommunications, and service industry.

Regional Logistics ManagerNamITech – October 2002 to December 2004

Achievements: Stock levels constant with a 25% increase in sales, Distribution budget dropped from R26 mm to R15mm. New warehouse design and commissioning including moving 6 million cards from one site to another during a business merger within 24 hours due to security requirements. (Merger team)

Business Development

& Projects manager: NamITech - May 2001 to October 2002

Achievements: I was assigned responsibility for various improvement programmes and customer initiatives. The projects where divided into 4 main categories, Cost cutting, Turnover improvement, Service delivery improvement and Solutions development. Each program had various project streams and teams that work together in order to achieve our objectives in line with the company strategic intent.

Total Quality Manager:

(Executive) Allied Amusements: (Reporting to MD) - April 2000 – May 2001:

Achievements: Reduced the number of faulty product returned from 15% to 1%,

Quality Systems Coordinator: Amalgamated Beverages Industries (Coca Cola) - Aug 1998 – May 2000:

Achievements: Introduced a new set of requirements requiring franchise bottlers to adhere to a stringent and extensive set of requirements; the aim being to reduce risk, and improve control over the various business processes and units.

QA Technologist: ABI (Coca-Cola) - (Oct 1996- Aug 1998)

Achievements: Took plant from bronze status to gold status

Other Acting QA manager (Plant Chemist) (Jul 1997 –

Aug 1998) as well as Jan 1996 to Oct 1996, P - 7

Assistant plant Chemist (Sep 1995 – Jan 1996),

Lab Shift Controller (May 1995 – Sep 1995),

Syrup Room Controller (Jun 1994 – May 1995), – ABI Eastrand

DR’s Futcher and Partners - Data Capturer (Jun 1993 – Jun 1994) worked while studying

Short and skills courses

Global Anti-Bribery: Doing Business with Foreign Public Officials – General Cables (July 2015)

International Leadership and Organizational Behavior- Università Bocconi (2015)

Introduction to American Law – University of Pennsylvania (2015)

ContractX – Harvard Law school (2015)

Successful Negotiating Skills – University of Michigan

Harvard Mentor Manager – Senior Manger role (Change management, Strategic thinking, Global Collaboration, Ethics at work)- Harvard Business Publishing (2013 version)

Harvard Mentor Manager (37 Modules)- Harvard Business Publishing

(2012)

AIB Food safety Essentials - (15 modules – Allergens, GMP, HACCP, Pest control, Food defense, built for safety, Bacteria, Temperature control, Warehouse and inventory, ) (AIB 2011 & 2012)

Product regulatory compliance –(General Millls) 2012

Fraud Awareness –(General Mills) 2012

HACCP – Von Holy 2012

Supply Chain leadership training - 43 Modules (General Mills)

CMT mentors – Behavioral Analyst

Gijima Emerging Consultant Development Programme (2008)

Skills Assessor training (Damelin 2004)

Train the trainer (Damelin 2004)

Business Management Diploma (Damelin-2000),

Advanced Quality Management and Quality Engineering Diploma (Damelin 1999),

Project Management Certification (TekMetrics – 1999),

(City & Guilds 1998),

Effective presentation skills (IPM - 1999),

Health and Safety Representatives (NOSA 1999),

The Coca-Cola Quality System for Sales and Marketing Associates (The Coca-Cola Company 1999),

Occupational Health and Safety for Supervisors (Technilaw 1998),

How to Write & Produce Effective Procedures (Whitehead Morris Seminars 1998),

Internal Audit Certificate (Coca-Cola Company 1998),

Industrial Relations (ABI Midrand 1998),

Statistical Process Control (Coca-Cola Company 1997),

Waste Minimization Course (Coca-Cola Company 1997),

Basic Water treatment principles and plant operation (Chematron 1997),

Major Hazard Installations regulations (HAZLAC 1997),

Biological effect monitoring in context of South-African Legislative (Mobile Occupational Medicine 1997),

Making the Difference, Personnel empowerment, working in Teams (FSA Contact 1997),

Managing on the Job training (ABI / FSA Contact 1997),

Quality Management Diploma (Damelin 1996),

Quality Lead Assessor/Assessor Certification exam (S.G.S.Yarsley International certification services. 1996),

Team Leadership (ABI Midrand/ FSA Contact 1996),

General Health and Safety (N.O.S.A. 1994),

Basic Supervisory training (ABI Eastrand 1994)

http://charleslszente

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